News Highlight: Many North American birds will get new names

By Lucy Soulliere

Get ready for big changes coming to the world of birdwatching! Many birds will be receiving new names in the coming year across the US and Canada in an effort to promote inclusion in the sciences and remove associations with racist and exclusionary practices.

On November 1st, 2023, the American Ornithological Society (AOS) made headlines by announcing that it will be changing the names of 70 to 80 bird species in North America. Why the name change? Well, this announcement is precedented by a long history in Western science of naming plants and animals after people, often after those who claimed to have “discovered” them. This renaming isn’t just a one-time initiative; it’s a pilot project that is paving the way for even more species to get a makeover (AOS, 2023).

Take the striking black-and-yellow Scott’s Oriole, native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. This species is named after General Winfield Scott, who was responsible for the Trail of Tears. Then there’s John Kirk Townsend, a naturalist who also collected the skulls from graves of indigenous people to reinforce eugenic ideas of racial inferiority. His legacy lives on in the names of the Townsend’s Warbler and Townsend’s Solitaire (Rutter et al., n.d). These are just a couple of examples among the hundreds of birds worldwide that carry the names of historical figures. If you’re interested in learning more about the individual namesakes of birds, birdnamesforbirds.wordpress.com is a great resource to check out. While not all of those people were involved in such harmful actions, a broad sweep detaching all human names from birds removes the need for debate on the morality of each person (Greenfieldboyce, 2023).

There have already been some smaller, successful efforts to change eponymous bird names. In 2020, the formerly McCown’s Longspur was renamed to Thick-billed Longspur due to its namesake being a Confederate general. The renaming of this bird was first proposed in 2018 and dismissed, but was revisited in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter movement (Voyles Pulver, 2023). Other renaming efforts have been proposed in recent years, though only some have been approved. And it’s not just about the birds; the movement to remove the Aububon name from birdwatching chapters due to his involvement in slavery is also gaining momentum. The Washington DC chapter is now called “Nature Forward,” and the Seattle chapter is “Seattle Birds Connect” (Aridi & David, 2023).

The tradition of naming something after a person is about honoring them and reflects that they and their actions are held in high regard. But when those people are involved in actions causing inequality and injustice, it's time for a change (Rutter et al., n.d). The AOS’s project intends to address rather than erase past wrongs, and hopes that renaming these birds will promote inclusivity and engagement in science at a time when bird populations are rapidly declining.

Descriptive naming also makes birds easier to identify when learning about them. A Cerulean Warbler or Hooded Warbler is far easier to identify just by name than a Wilson’s Warbler. This initiative provides an opportunity to come up with new and imaginative names for many beautiful birds (Voyles Pulver, 2023).

The AOS will be taking public input as to what the new names should be in 2024, so keep an eye out for upcoming opportunities to make your voice heard!

References:

AOS. (2023, November 1). American Ornithological Society (AOS) council statement on english bird names. American Ornithological Society.

AOS Leadership. (2023, November 1). American Ornithological Society will change the English names of bird species named after people. American Ornithological Society.

Greenfieldboyce, N. (2023, November 1). These American birds and dozens more will be renamed, to remove human monikers. NPR.

Voyles Pulver, D. (2023, November 2). Dozens of birds, including ones named after white supremacists, are being renamed. USA Today.

Rutter, J., et al. (n.d.) Historical Bios Index. Bird Names For Birds.

Gammon, K. (2023, November 2). “There is power in a name”: Why dozens of American birds are being renamed. The Guardian.

Aridi, R., & Davis, K. (2023, April 31). The National Audubon Society wrestles with namesake’s racist legacy. Science Friday.